


It's that guy again...

by sassamifrass



Series: Seven and Tom, pals for life [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Epic Bromance, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Unrequited Crush, tangential brief angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:58:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8517691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassamifrass/pseuds/sassamifrass
Summary: I? Just? Love? Tom? So much???Okay, the idea of Seven's "neighbourhood friend Tom" (and the fact that you can invite him to the party and he's just a totally normal guy) cracks me up so much, so I decided the world needed some stories about Seven and Tom's relationship. Prepare for a series of loosely connected drabbles about totally oblivious-to-Seven's-agency-work-Tom and Seven just dying over how nice this doofus is.   See this tweet thread about how I imagine their dynamic, to get an idea of what to expect from this series.





	1. Hello again

"Hey buddy, would you like a hand with that?"

Seven's head whips around in shock. "S-sorry?!" He'd been completely spacing out, staring at the stack of "PhD Pepper: New Formula" displayed near the convenience store's counter.

A young man wearing a white hoodie with the name "Tom" on it in green letters is smiling at Seven from across the counter. "Oh, hi, sorry to startle you! My name's Tom!" He gives Seven a tiny salute. "My parents own this place - I'm just holding the fort while Dad's out picking up my little brother. You're looking for the original PhD Pepper, right?"

Seven grimaces. "Yeah."

Tom laughs. "Yeah, I know how you feel! Don't worry, I know they're going to bring back the original soon – and in the meantime... let me show you something...!"

Gesturing for Seven to follow, Tom heads over to the 'Staff Only' door to the right of the counter.

Seven hesitates. "Hey, don't you need to mind the cash register?"

Tom gives an expansive shrug, although most of the movement is lost inside his hoodie. "Ahhhh... we'll just be a second. I'll hear the bell anyways." He leads Seven into the back room, and gestures at a huge stack of boxes by an air conditioning unit. Boxes and boxes labelled 'PhD Pepper'. And nothing else. No other flavours, no new formulas. Just the good stuff.

"I've seen you around here a few times," Tom smiles, gesturing back at the staff room door. "You're a good customer! I can hook you up with some of our reserve if you want!"

"H-how much???" Seven can't hide the sudden desperation in his voice.

"Hmmmm..." Tom pauses, and looks thoughtful. "Well, dad probably won't mind me giving you a discount if you buy a whole box at once..."

Seven tilts his head. "Wait, don't you mean you'll charge more? Now that these are rare?"

Another shrug from Tom. "What can I say, I like you, haha!" Tom then effortlessly lifts an entire box from the stack like it was filled with nothing but air and hands it to Seven, who has to bend his knees rapidly to take the sudden weight. _How strong is this guy?!_

They head back to the counter and Tom puts through the purchase with practised ease. The total cost is much lower than Seven would have expected, even with a discount.

"Hey," Tom interjects, as Seven is struggling to get a better hold of the box, "do you... play D&D? You look like a guy that might play D&D."

"Haha, well, in college I did hang out with a few guys like that, yeah..."

"Awesome! I knew it!!!" Tom scribbles something on the receipt. "My group is looking for a mage. You should totally send me a text if you wind up being free on Saturday nights at any point, we do one-off games then. We're all heavy PhD Pepper drinkers, so this stash is kinda a favour from my Dad to me." He tucks the receipt under one of Seven's fingers, given his hands are both still struggling with the box. "Hang on, I'll get you a strong bag that'll make that easier to carry home."

Seven stares at the genial figure as he ducks down under the counter for a minute. "Sorry for sounding suspicious, but... is this...? A thing? Are you...?"

Tom pokes his head over the counter, "Oh, haha, am I hitting on you?" He says the sentence with zero embarrassment, but that doesn't stop Seven from turning bright red anyway. "Sorry, I get that a lot... I don't really do romance though, with anyone, haha... but if you want bromance..." He stands tall all of a sudden, giant reinforced plastic bag held aloft in one hand, a staple-gun (w-why?) held in the other as he flexes both biceps. "I'M YOUR MAN, BRO."

Seven has to drop the box on the counter so that he doesn't crush his own feet, he's laughing so hard. "Oh. My god." He wipes a tear of laughter away from one eye. Tom grins back at him and lifts the box into the plastic bag, again using way less effort than seems humanly possible.

Seven finally manages to control himself, and straightens up to look at the friendly man before him. "Tom... I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now I love them together even MORE. I am definitely going to write more adventures of Seven and Tom.
> 
> I basically wrote this in an hour while laughing to myself THE ENTIRE TIME so please forgive any errors haha.


	2. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven finally introduces himself properly, and discovers he and Tom have a common interest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seven just does not know how to handle people who are so relentlessly nice to him! It throws him off!

"So, what is your name, anyway?" Tom asks, packing a few bonus baked goods into the top of Seven's groceries bag. "I was trying to be cool about this, but you only pay in cash, so I couldn't sneak a look at your cards!"

It has only been a couple days, but Seven's back for another box of PhD Pepper original and a few bags of snacks. He eyes the free gifts getting piled on top of his groceries with a guilty expression "Hey, you don’t need to give me all that... "

Tom pauses, and stares at Seven seriously. Then, without breaking eye contact, his arm moves over to  a jar of chocolate pirate coins, grabbing a huge fistful in one go. Still refusing to look away from Seven, he drops the chocolate coins blindly on top of Seven's groceries. Half of them slide off and land on the floor. Tom ignores them.

"I refuse." Tom maintains his dour expression for another second and then drops back into his usual goofy smile. "Buddy, our profit margin on all the snacks you buy here is enormous. Consider it a thank you for supporting your local family store, okay?" He gives the bag a shake so that the coins fall into the gaps between the rest of the groceries. "But seriously, am I going to have to put you under 'Buddy' in my phone contacts? 'PhD Ginger'?? 'NiceHoodieBoy2000'??? Because I will!!!"

"N-nice...?" Seven cannot look at this guy right now.

"What? It's a cool hoodie! You got a different handle you wanna share?"

Seven smiles apologetically. "Look... I don't really give my number out to a lot of people... I guess you could say my phone needs to be free for work most of the time? But, uh, my name's... Luciel."

"Huh. Weird name." Only Tom could say something like that without it sounding even the slightest bit judgemental. "What's that from?'

"Oh, uh, it's from the Bible."

"Oh! Just like my name," says Tom, ignoring the sudden look of confusion on Seven's face. "Although, I can't say I remember a Luciel in the Bible... but hey, it's been a little while since I read the good book." He steps around the counter to pick up the chocolate coins that fell on the ground, Seven quickly squatting down to help him.

"But," says Tom, pausing as he pops another gold coin into the pocket of his own hoodie – _Tom are you just collecting them to eat yourself??? - "_ Luciel's a bit of a mouthful, you know?" He unpeels the foil off a coin and chomps down onto the chocolate disc. "Mmmph. 'Scuse me. Maybe... hmmm... maybe Lu? Oh, or Lu-Lu, I like that too, haha! ♡" _How does this guy even pronounce a heart symbol?!_ Seven wonders, and stops collecting coins to look up at Tom slack-jawed. _Why is this guy so good at throwing me off?_

Tom grins, and pops a chocolate coin, still covered in gold foil, into Seven's mouth. "Ahahah, your face! Sorry, Lu-Lu! It was just too cute!" Tom scoops up the last couple coins into his hoodie and stands, brushing off his knees. "Ah, but I shouldn't call you cute, should I? I'm sorry. I know guys usually want to be 'cool' or 'tough', haha. Hey, you should probably take that out of your mouth, it's gonna melt."

Seven's face colours as he stands – way too fast – and has to steady himself on the counter with his free hand, removing the coin from his mouth with the other. "…Tom, you're a weird guy, you know?"

"Hah-hah, Tom is weird! Tom is weeeeiiiiird!" A younger boy runs into the store from behind Seven, waving his arms in the air. He... he is also wearing a hoodie that says "Tom". A hoodie that is way, way too big for him.

"Aha, I was wondering where you were, you rascal!" Tom picks the boy up smoothly into the air and sits him on the counter. "Lu, meet my brother, Ted!"

"Hi! I'm Ted!! Like from the Bible!!!" shouts the younger boy with seemingly endless enthusiasm.

Seven isn't sure whether to question the Bible thing or the hoodie thing first. He stares at the name "Tom" emblazoned on the kid's oversized hoodie and decides to start there. "So...?"

"Ahhhh, that's just a hand-me down of mine," Tom explains, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately. He lifts the voluminous front of Ted's hoodie to reveal a shirt underneath, which reads: 'Ted'.

"I... see..." replies Seven. _I'm hooked,_ he realises, looking at the two grinning goofballs in front of him. _I want to know more... I want to know what the heck is going on with this family...!_

 _"_ Hey! Tom! Gimme some coins! You guys are eating all the coins again aren't you?!" Ted leans over and grabs a tiny handful of coins from Tom's hoodie. "I knew it!!! Stop scoffing all the coins yourself!"

Tom shrugs and raises his eyebrows at Seven. "Guilty as charged. I'm just addicted to these things..." He unpeels another coin and practically swallows it whole. "But they're so cheap, and Dad never pays me for minding the store anyway..." Ted doesn't seem to be listening anymore, as he carefully sorts his haul by size on the counter.

Seven recovers a little of his cool. "Well, I'd better get going, I have a lot of work waiting for me." He gives the younger boy a thumbs-up "Good luck guarding your horde, Ted." Ted looks up at him with wide eyes.

"G-guarding? From who?" Ted eyes Tom suspiciously.

"No one, no one~!" Tom waves his hands and looks anywhere other than the shining piles on the counter. "Lu's just teasing you! Mind the counter while I see him, off, 'kay?"

"Okay~!"

Tom follows helps Seven lug the PhD Peppers and other goods around the corner to where Seven has parked one of his ridiculously fancy cars. A few people are standing around taking a selfie with it, but they move off when Seven disarms the alarm.

Tom whistles. "Nice car, Lu! No wonder you're so dedicated to your job, they must pay you a fortune!"

"Haha, something like that." Seven pops his haul into the back seat and shuts the door.

"Well, if you ever need someone to wash it, I'm your man, okay? I really could use the extra money to be honest, my Dad only pays me in stuff from the store... and I really love cars..."

"Ah, I like looking after them myself," Seven says, "but maybe another time I can introduce you to my collection." _DID I JUST. INVITE HIM TO MY GARAGE._

 _"_ C-collection?!" Tom swoons dramatically against a wooden post, one arm against his forehead. "Car master!!! I've waited all my life to train with you!!!"

Seven can't help himself. "No!!! Stand tall, my son! There are no masters in the world of automobiles!!" He holds a hand against his chest, glasses glinting in the sun. "Only!!! BROTHERS!!!"

"BROTHER LU!!!!!" Tom sobs, grabbing Seven by the shoulders. "IN ENGINES WE TRUST!!"

People are starting to stare, but neither of them care particularly much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE THESE BOYS.


	3. The angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that story Seven tells you on his route, about a mission that went wrong?
> 
> Yeah. Thank goodness for Tom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've meant for the Tom series to be just a ton of cute fluff, but this one actually starts out pretty angsty. But don't worry! Tom will save us!

It has been three days. His car is gone, of course. One of the other agents would have removed it when he missed the deadline to escape. He wants to cry, but his eyes are so dry. _Just a hollow shell moving towards a memory of water._

It took so long to escape that place, and now… what? And, better question, why…?

No. That’s a stupid question. He has that answer already. V. Rika. Yoosung. Everyone in the RFA. That’s why. He can’t give up yet. The maps of this place are all still in his memory. He knows where he needs to go. He just needs to get there alive. That’s all he needs…

Being trapped for so long, he’d really felt like he was going to die. And. It didn’t scare him. It just felt empty. _I’m a person who can leave no traces. One day, for sure, I’ll vanish entirely._

But the RFA… he can’t vanish yet. Not when they still need him.

…

Seven’s in no condition to drive, but the opportunity is too good to pass up. He’d originally been heading to the nearest place with cell reception, but the car before him allowed for a quick re-think of his plans. He tears the skin of his fingers as he hotwires the vehicle. So dry. His tongue is like paper, and keeping his eyes open is an intense struggle.

He drives…

And drives…

And dr-

-iv-

-e-

-s-

…

_Did I just fall asleep? Is this even real?_ It’s daylight, now. Dangerous. He’s come further than he realised. Too close to home. Will have to dump the car. Will have to –

\- he pulls over. Limbs following memories, not thoughts. His body opens the car door. Starts walking. His mind is far away. Still trapped in the boiler room, maybe? _The soul can’t travel at the speed of a car._

Instincts? Training? Delirium? He doesn’t know. He can barely think. _Maybe it’s not just my mind. Maybe I’m still trapped in that room and this is just my dying dream…_

He walks.

There are people, around him, again. Not many – bakers going to work, night shift workers coming home. Some stare, but no one bothers him.

After a while, he breaks out into a sweat. _How?_ He should have nothing left in him, now.

Oh. It’s raining.

The water vapour clouds his glasses, so he pushes them up onto his head, then cups his hands under the light rain. _Water. At last._ It feels like an act of god. Normally, he hates being wet.

He still can’t cry, but the rain does it for him.

Then. The voice.

Someone calling him? Maybe? _Maybe I really am dying._ This gift of rain, and now someone calling his name… but this sounds like an angel, and surely he’s not going to be collected by the angels…

The voice gets louder, and there’s blurred movement, but his glasses are still off, and he’s so tired, so dizzy, so –

-ooOoo-

“Hey, buddy… looks like you’re finally coming around. Must have been a heck of a party.”

_This voice… the angel…_

Seven opens his eyes carefully. His vision is worse than usual. Something cold is pressed into one hand, but he nearly drops it. Two warm hands cover his own.

“Hey… Lu-lu. You gotta get some water into you. Alcohol really dehydrates you, right?”

The warm hands take the glass away again, and help Seven sit up against a pillow.

“Here…” His glasses. Seven puts them on, weakly.

“Oh… it’s you…”

“HELL YEAH IT’S ME!” Tom pumps a fist into the air. Seven wants to flinch at the sudden volume, but he’s still too tired. “Your one and only super hero! Hello! I leapt over skyscrapers and fought off dire wolves just to carry you back to my place, haha!”

Seven takes the glass back from Tom’s outstretched hand and sips at it carefully. The room is coming into focus. Posters of dragons and dwarves and… axe-wielding… lizards? He’s in a bed with… sheets… from the Cars movie…

Somehow. Even with all he’s been through. There’s the tiniest prickle of tears at the corner of his eyes.

“Tom… your room… it’s so cool…and terrible… and cool… hahaha…”

Tom grins and gives him a thumbs up. “I knew we’d see eye to eye on the décor, Car Master.”

Seven takes another sip and looks towards the nearby window. There are at least three shirts all hung over the curtain rods, drying. Against the light of the setting sun, he can just make out the name “Tom” written across the chest of each one. Wait. The sun’s setting? He really can’t stay here much longer. “Hey. Tom. Does anyone know I’m here?”

Just then, the door bursts open. But no one’s there?

Ah. Seven looks down to see Ted’s diminutive figure grinning at him. He’s carrying a huge box of... oh my god. That smell.

Anything would have tasted good to Seven, but it would have been a struggle to not just inhale this perfectly fried chicken whole even on a good day. It requires all his remaining willpower to hold himself back and take just a few tiny bites at a time.

“A+ stamina food, right?” Tom plucks the chicken leg Ted was about to scoop up from the box and takes a huge bite, ignoring the shriek of dismay that follows. “My aunt went out and bought a few boxes while you were sleeping. She’s the best. You’ll love her.”

Even with Seven eating as slowly as he can, his stomach lurches at the sudden intake of salty food after so many days with nothing. Tom catches his expression and nods to Seven’s right side. “I put a bucket down for you buddy, so don’t worry. I’m a pro when it comes to this stuff. My dad… well, yeah. He’s a bit of a lightweight, haha.”

Fortunately, the bucket is unnecessary. If nothing else, Seven’s muscles just feel too fatigued to even manage the applicable actions.

“I really… should go…” Seven attempts weakly, attempting to move his legs. They refuse.

“Lu-lu, I admire your positive thinking. But. You. Are. So. Munted. Seriously. Rest up. I’ll give you a lift home when you look less like your use-by date is up. Also, we’re still washing your clothes, so…”

_My clo –_ he looks down.

He’s wearing a shirt.

From here, in large, friendly letters, the shirt says, “ɯoʇ”. It’s about two sizes too large for him.

“You need to train with me sometime, dude. You weigh as much as, like, one and a half Teds, seriously.”

Seven looks up to Tom, then back to the shirt, then back to Tom. “So – you. Carried me. From…?”

“Oh, hah. You were only a few streets away from the store. And we live on the top floor, so. It wasn’t that far honestly.” Tom scratches his head. “I was just kidding about the skyscrapers. Not the wolves, though! There was actually a dog…” Tom pat’s Seven’s leg through the blankets. “But don’t worry, Lu. I convinced him there wasn’t enough of you to make a proper meal out of anyway, haha.”

Seven feels himself slipping back towards sleep. He’s been pushing himself so hard, so long, and finally he’s safe… but, _I can’t stay here. What if… I was seen…?_

Tom seems to catch the look in his eye. “Look, Lu. Whatever’s going on, you’re fine to stay here until it blows over, okay? Trust me. If you need me to call your boss and tell him you’re sick, I can come up with at least three believable diseases you are suffering from right now!”

Seven wants to push back, but his legs still feel like wood. He doesn’t have a lot of choice. “Why… are you so…?”

“Don’t you remember?” Tom raises one fist high above his head. “We’re brothers!”

“No, **we’re** brothers!” Ted throws a chicken bone at Tom in disgust. “Dumb-dumb!”

“Haha,” Tom says, catching the chicken bone out of mid-air - _he wasn’t even looking holy crap –_ “you’re right. Guess that makes him…”

Ted tilts his head and narrows his eyes at Seven, leaning in closer from where he’s sitting on the bed “…maybe a cousin?”

“Cousin Lu-lu! I like it!” Tom gives Seven a gentle thump on the back. “Now that that’s settled, let’s finish off this chicken and pick out something to watch tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was really unwell for a chunk of this week and couldn't post any new chapters for any of my fics, so I wrote this out quickly today now that I'm feeling better - hopefully there aren't too many errors. I'll check again later ^^;; I hope to have another chapter of the His Side fic up tomorrow, too!
> 
> Why is Tom using Australian slang? Well, other than that being where I'm from, it just seemed to fit him, haha. I mean, it's not like that's the biggest mystery about Tom and his family :3
> 
> IT SURE IS CONVENIENT THAT SEVEN'S MISSION WAS A DAY'S DRIVE AWAY FROM WHERE HE LIVES yes I know I know I just really wanted Tom to save him c_c
> 
> The next chapters should be a lot more fluffy and goofball-y I'm sure. Tom is the pal you can never get rid of, but why would you want to???
> 
> Also I think this chapter explains why Seven is so touched when MC mentions she understands the beauty of water ^^


End file.
